Coaster



March 7, 1944. .1. E. MCCABE COASTER Filed Feb. 8, 1941 Patented Mar. 7, 1944 UNITED STATESEPATENT OFFICE COASTER John E. McGabe, Fort Thomas, Ky.

Application February 8, 1941, Serial No. 378,064

3 Claims.

One of the objects has been to provide a coast er adapted to grip the sides of a beverage glass or bottle and remain affixed in position when the glass or bottle is raised in the air.

Another object has been to provide a coaster of simple construction having sloping surfaces on either side which are particularly adapted for the display of advertising matter.

Another object has been to provide a coaster which can be manufactured and packaged in flat or collapsed condition.

Another object has been the provision of a coaster which is supplied in flat condition but which is set up for engagement on the glass or bottle by the simple act of applying pressure to the ends of the coaster thus fiexingand spreading the side panels to open them for insertion of the glass. The inventor has discovered that upon release, the coaster clings to the glass due to the tension in the paper or fiber material as folded.

Another object has been to provide a coaster which is extremely effective in preventing moisture on beverage glasses and bottles from dripping on the surface of tables and .the like but which is very simple and inexpensive to construct.

Other and further advantages will be'apparent from a consideration of the further and more detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank formed from heavy paper or the like, the various fold lines involved in the construction of the coaster being shown in dotted lines and in this instance, a square piece of absorbent paper being shown covering the portion of the blank constituting the bottom of the folded coaster.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same blank partially folded.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank completely folded showing the coaster in flat shipping or packaging position.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the coaster showing it opened or spread for attachment to the glass.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the reverse side of the coaster.

Figure 6 is a side edge view of the coaster collapsed as shown in Figure 3 and with arrows indicating the direction in which the sides are elevated when pressure is applied to the ends.

Figure '7 is a side elevation of the coaster showing the end wall erected and the side walls spread by manual pressure applied on the ends.

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the coaster in the position shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the coaster in position on the base of a beverage glass.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 1 in which a modified blotter pad is utilized.

The blank shown in Figure 1 may be a substantially square sheet I of fairly heavy paper or light cardboard. Certain types of blotting paper are quite effective for the purpose and the naturally absorbent qualities are of assistance in performing the function of the coaster. To this blank may be attached by adhesive or otherwise a smaller square 4 of absorbent paper forming a substantially square base portion. (Figure 1.) If the entire blank is constructed from absorbent paper such as blotting paper, the interior square t may be dispensed with. The blank is first folded inwardly along the lines 2-2 to provide the sides or wings 3. The blank will then assume the approximate position shown in Figure 2. The corner portion 6 should then be folded against the underside of the coaster along the diagonal lines 5 until the blank assumes the position shown in Figure 3. At this point, the sides are in the shape of trapezoids. If desired these wings which are shown folded down in Figure- 5 may then be fastened to the base of the blank by glue, metal clips or the like. The construction of the coaster is now completed and will normally assume the fiat position shown in Figure 5.

To erect the coaster to operating position manual pressureis applied at the points I by the thumb and finger as shown in Figure '7. This pressure causes the sides 3 to spread and become elevated to a sloping position as best shown in Figure 8 and it also elevates the members I!) which may be considered either as extensions of the base or as separate end members. A glass or bottle such as 9 is then placed on the base portion 4 of the coaster and the end pressure is released. This causes the sides 3 to flex inwardly under a normal or inherent tension of the material whereby they grip the sides of the glass 9 along the edges I I. The material from which the coaster is constructed being more or less flexible and resilient, the sides 3 will tend to conform themselves to the circumference of the glass and will apply pressure over a considerable area. This tends to hold the coaster on the glass very tightly so that it will practically never drop off the glass or bottle of its own accord.

In Figure 10 a modified form of the absorbent paper pad is shown. In this instance, the pad extends into the two pointed end portions 1--1 of the coaster. The extra thickness of paper extending over the length of the coaster in creases the tendency of the coaster to retain the flattened position; thus, increasing the gripping pressure of the sides 3.

The applicants conception of a coaster which is adapted to be affixed quickly and readily to the base and sides of a beverage glass or bottle is one of very determined utility. There are many occasions when a person holding a moist glass or bottle will wish to put it down at some point other than the point where it was formerly positioned. Under these circumstances, it is very much of a nuisance to move a flat type of coaster from place to place. Since glasses, bottles or containers collect moisture from condensation, and since moist surfaces are injurious to practically all types of conventional hard wood and other types of surfaces, the need for an article of this kind is quite obvious.

The construction of the invention is particularly advantageous in absorbing moisture Where there is a particularly large amount of moisture to be absorbed; for example, a glass of beer or the like where the foam has come up over the top of the glass and down the sides. Since the sides of the structure of the invention grip the sides of the glass, this overflow will, to a very large extent, be absorbed by the sides of the coaster, assuming the coaster to be made of absorbent material. Both the sides and the base will have to become completely saturated before the beer will soak through to the surface on which the glass is placed. It follows therefore, that the structure of the invention has several times the moisture absorbent surface of an ordinary flat coaster.

Another advantage of the invention is the ready means afforded for advertising display. Coasters of the ordinary flat type ave very often used for this purpose and may advertise the hotel or restaurant in which they are used, or some product such as, for example, a soft drink or beer which is sold in the hotel or restaurant. Since there is only one surface for advertising display in an ordinary flat coaster, the utility for this purpose is completely lost when a glass or bottle is placed on top of the advertising matter. This is not true with the present invention because the outer surfaces of the sloping surfaces 33 are constantly in evidence at all times, even when the coaster is not in use. Any of the other surfaces of the coaster may also be used effectively for advertising purposes.

Instead of constructing the coaster from absorbent paper, it is quite practical to construct it from water-proof paper such as waxed paper, heavy Cellophane, or the like. Since only a small piece of comparatively cheap material is required to construct the preferred embodiment of the invention, the total manufacturing cost is extremely slight and the coasters may be thrown away after a single use.

The reenforcing pad 4 shown in Figure l is effective under certain conditions particularly if it is made from an absorbent material such as blotting paper and the balance of the coaster is formed from ordinary heavy paper. It is never an essential featuie of the invention.

The structure described is a preferred embodiment of the invention, but there are doubtless other ways in which an article may be constructed within the scope of the improvement, as herein described.

Having fully described my invention therefor, I desire to be limited only by the ensuing claims:

1. In a coaster, a substantially square base, a pair of unbroken pointed end extensions extending from said base on opposed ends thereof, a pair of unbroken trapezoidal Wing members hingedly adjoining the base on the sides and extending on the face side of said base and corner portions adjoining said base and wing members and folded against the upper side of the base; said wing members resting normally on said base and ends but being adapted to be elevated to an inwardly inclined position upon the application of inward pressure to the pointed ends extending from the ends of the base.

2. A coaster formed from flexible resilient sheet material comprising a base and a pair of wing members secured thereto, said wing members being of trapezoidal configuration and. normally resting flat on the base with their longer longitudinal edges disposed toward the interior of the base in closely contiguous parallel relationship; said base being coextensive in area with the two wing members when the latter are disposed in their normal positions, said wing members being adapted to be elevated and spread to an inwardly inclined position upon the application of pressure to the ends thereof and to grip the sides of a bottle or glass positioned on the base upon the release of such pressure.

3. As an article of manufacture, a coaster formed from a sheet of flexible resilient material comprising a base and a pair of Wing members secured thereto, said wing members being of trapezoidal configuration and normally resting flat on the base with their longer longitudinal edges disposed toward the interior of the base in closely contiguous parallel relationship, said base having an area which is coextensive with that of the two wing members when the latter are disposed in their normal positions.

JOHN E. McCABE. 

